Category — Philippines

Urban agriculture: Growing crops in the city

By Henrylito D. Tacio
Sun.Star Davao – source of Philippine community news
March 14, 2010

Farming is always associated with rural areas, rivers and mountains.

Unknowingly, farming can also be done right in the city. Experts call this practice as urban agriculture.

“Urban agriculture refers not merely to the growing of food crops and fruit trees but that it also encompasses the raising of animals, poultry, fish, bees, rabbits, guinea pigs, or other livestock considered edible locally,” explains Dr. Irene Tinker, an American professor in the department of city and regional planning at the University of California.

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Philippines News Agency
September 1, 2009
LEGAZPI CITY

The Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL) has implemented a project dubbed “Urban Agriculture through the High-Value Commercial Crops Techno-Demo Farm” within its expansive campus here.

The project features 60-square-meter greenhouse where vegetables highly sensitive to rain and changes in temperature like broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and honeydew melon are being propagated.

Gardens for more hardy vegetables such as squash, eggplant and watermelon were also established in an open area of 1,000 square meters whose perimeters were planted to rootcrops like ubi and sweet potato.

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Malacañang, Manila
By The President Of The Philippines

Executive Order No. 776
Rolling Out The Backyard Food Production Programs In The Urban Areas

WHEREAS, two-thirds of the world is in recession, though the Philippines is not;

WHEREAS, it is not business as usual; government agencies must hit the round running;

WHEREAS, the government should take advantage of the window of opportunity, i.e. declining inflation and interest rates and good weather;

WHEREAS, the government has committed Three Hundred Billion Pesos (P300,000,000,000.00) to economic stimulus programs, including comprehensive livelihood and emergency employment program (CLEEP), that will save or create millions of new jobs.

WHEREAS, part of CLEEP consists of backyard food production programs like Gulayan ng Masa and the Integrated Services for Livelihood Advancement (ISLA) for subsistence fisherfolk.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA M. ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by the power vested in me by law, do hereby order:

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By Robert J. Holmer, Clarito A. Santos Jr., Glenda Y. Sol,
Stephen O. Lee, Elmer G. Elorde Jr., Arnel A. Aquino,
Yvette B. Guanzon, Donah Marie D. Achas,
Janice A. Caseria, Horacio S. Factura III, Analiza U. Miso,
Rafael A. Oclarit & Angelito A. Montes

Periurban Vegetable Project (PUVeP)
Xavier University College of Agriculture
Philippines, 103 pages

Foreword By Robert J. Holmer
Cagayan de Oro, February 2008

This Philippine Allotment Garden Manual is a product of research and extension activities of the Periurban Vegetable Project (PUVeP) of Xavier University College of Agriculture in cooperation with the city government of Cagayan de Oro, barangay administrations, local communities as well as universities and local government units from Germany and Belgium.

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Planning Report for Naga City Council June 2007
Kathryn Hill, Department of Geography, UBC
Dee Dee Quinnelly, School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC
Kaitlin Kazmierowski, School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC

Naga is a mid-size city of 150,000 residents in Bicol region, central Philippines. It is internationally and nationally renowned as among the ‘best practices’ in good local governance in the Philippines and in the developing world.

Naga City currently sits in an interesting position with regards to local UA (urban agriculture) practices. Despite being enclosed by rich agricultural lands, encroaching development and social stigmatization of farmers pose serious threats to the future of local agriculture in the city.

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By Michaela Cabrera, Reuters, May 28, 2008 – With prices of food items reaching record-highs in Philippines, residents in poor areas in Manila plant vegetables in their backyards to save on food expenses and harvest enough to sell at a local market. See video story here.

For green thumbs living in Manila, urban farming is the answer to soaring food prices. It may seem impossible to grow lettuce and eggplant in a crowded, humid environment, but city living has not stopped farmers like Bernabe Atenta from cultivating greens. He and his wife Virgie literally pick out their lunch from their backyard.

“This helps a lot, in securing your family’s welfare. You don’t need to buy vegetables in the market. If all people here in Manila planted vegetables even in pots, it will ease some expenses,” Atenta said.

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Along with the IDRC and the RUAF, Urban Harvest, headquartered in Lima, Peru, is a major centre for international urban agriculture development. This recent publication, 2007, is available for download as a 64 page PDF (3.2MB).

“Although many migrants move to cities in the
expectation of more and better-paid jobs than in the
country-side, we know that many cities have as much as
90% informal employment, meaning occasional and
precarious opportunities for earning income. Urban crop
production and livestock-keeping have been shown to be
complementary activities to casual non-farm work for
many families and improving their income-generating
potential can help them move out of poverty.

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“It has really helped us because we bring home food to our families and we also have a source of income out of vegetables harvested,” said Mr. Flores. “For every harvest, the lowest net income per family is P500,” he said noting income depends on the yield and frequency of harvest of crops planted. He cited that eggplant has an estimated minimum harvest of 10 kilograms a week. “We sell eggplant at P18/kg,” said Mr. Flores. “In the market, eggplant sells at P20/kg.”

Article originally published January 9, 2008 in the Manila based newspaper BusinessWorld. Link to JPEG image of the article here.